| Alfie May | |
| Fullname: | Alfie Ben May[1] |
| Birth Date: | 3 July 1993[2] |
| Birth Place: | Gravesend, England |
| Height: | 1.76m (05.77feet) |
| Position: | Striker |
| Currentclub: | Birmingham City |
| Clubnumber: | 9 |
| Youthclubs1: | Millwall |
| Years1: | 2012–2013 |
| Clubs1: | Corinthian |
| Years2: | 2013 |
| Clubs2: | Billericay Town |
| Caps2: | 2 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2013–2014 |
| Clubs3: | Chatham Town |
| Caps3: | 19 |
| Goals3: | 9 |
| Years4: | 2014 |
| Clubs4: | → Bromley (dual registration) |
| Caps4: | 0 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2014 |
| Clubs5: | VCD Athletic |
| Caps5: | 14 |
| Goals5: | 2 |
| Years6: | 2014–2015 |
| Clubs6: | Erith & Belvedere |
| Caps6: | 45 |
| Goals6: | 38 |
| Years7: | 2014 |
| Clubs7: | → Farnborough (loan) |
| Caps7: | 2 |
| Goals7: | 0 |
| Years8: | 2015–2017 |
| Clubs8: | Hythe Town |
| Caps8: | 45 |
| Goals8: | 37 |
| Years9: | 2017–2020 |
| Clubs9: | Doncaster Rovers |
| Caps9: | 92 |
| Goals9: | 10 |
| Years10: | 2020–2023 |
| Clubs10: | Cheltenham Town |
| Caps10: | 141 |
| Goals10: | 58 |
| Years11: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs11: | Charlton Athletic |
| Caps11: | 43 |
| Goals11: | 23 |
| Years12: | 2024– |
| Clubs12: | Birmingham City |
| Caps12: | 2 |
| Goals12: | 2 |
| Club-Update: | 16:58, 17 August 2024 (UTC) |
Alfie Ben May (born 3 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Birmingham City.
After playing in non-League with Corinthian, Billericay Town, Chatham Town, Bromley, VCD Athletic, Erith & Belvedere, Farnborough and Hythe Town, May turned professional in 2017 with Doncaster Rovers, later also playing in the Football League for Cheltenham Town and Charlton Athletic.
Born in Gravesend,[3] May began his career in the youth team at Millwall where he stayed from age nine until 14, being released due to his size.[4] He began his senior career with Corinthian, then Billericay Town and Chatham Town, before joining Bromley on a dual-registration basis in January 2014.[5] After a spell with VCD Athletic, May signed for Erith & Belvedere in August 2014.[6] After a trial at League One club Crewe Alexandra in September 2014,[7] May signed for Farnborough in October 2014.[8] [9] He left the club after just two weeks.[10] After returning to previous club Erith & Belvedere, he moved to Hythe Town in October 2015.[11] [12] In September 2016 his manager said he was good enough to play in the Football League,[13] and he had a trial with League Two club Stevenage in October 2016.[14]
After the club made an approach for him,[15] May turned professional with Doncaster Rovers (also in League Two) in January 2017, signing a -year contract.[16] He scored his first professional goal on 18 February 2017, in a 1–1 home draw with Luton Town.[17]
On 3 January 2020, May signed for Cheltenham Town on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[18] On 19 February 2022, May scored four goals against Wycombe Wanderers in a match that would end 5–5; May scored the equalising goal to share the points. [19] May was awarded the EFL League One Player of the Month award for February 2022 after scoring eight goals in six matches across the month.[20]
He won the League One Player of the Month award for a second time for March 2023 having scored five goals and registered an assist,[21] including a strike from his own half against Peterborough United.
May became Cheltenham's highest EFL goalscorer with a goal in a win against Cambridge United in September 2022.[22] At the end of the 2022–23 season, May left Cheltenham having scored 67 times in 165 games.[23]
On 7 July 2023, May joined Charlton Athletic on a two-year contract with the option to extend for a further 12 months.[24] [25] Charlton paid Cheltenham a reported fee in the region of £250,000.[26] On the same day, Charlton announced that May would wear the number nine shirt for the 2023–24 season.[27] Having scored seven goals in six league matches, he was awarded the League One Player of the Month award for October 2023.[28] In November 2023, May told Sky Sports it was his intention to score more league goals than Premier League Golden Boot holder Erling Haaland, after May brought his goal tally to one behind Haaland's at the same point in the season.[29] He would go on to overtake Haaland's league goal tally in December.[30] On 29 February 2024, May was voted EFL Player of the Year at the 2024 London Football Awards.[31] May was named in the EFL League One Team of the Season at the 2024 EFL Awards that took place on 14 April 2024.[32] His 23 league goals also saw him pick up the League One Golden Boot.[33] He was voted PFA League One Player of the Year and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year.
On 2 July 2024, May joined Birmingham City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[34] He made his debut in the starting eleven for the opening fixture of the season, at home to Reading; with little time remaining and Birmingham trailing 1–0, Emil Hansson's cross was handled by an opponent and May tied the scores from the resultant penalty.[35]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Billericay Town | 2012–13 | Conference South | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Chatham Town | 2013–14[36] | Isthmian League Division One North | 19 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 17 | |
| VCD Athletic | 2013–14[37] | Isthmian League Division One North | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| Erith & Belvedere | 2014–15[38] | Southern Counties East League | 36 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 35 | |
| 2015–16 | Southern Counties East League | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | ||
| Total | 45 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 39 | |||
| Farnborough (loan) | 2014–15 | Conference South | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Hythe Town | 2015–16[39] | Isthmian League Division One South | 23 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 19 | |
| 2016–17[40] | Isthmian League Division One South | 22 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 24 | ||
| Total | 45 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 55 | 43 | |||
| Doncaster Rovers | 2016–17 | League Two | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | |
| 2017–18 | League One | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | League One | 34 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 11 | ||
| 2019–20 | League One | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 3 | ||
| Total | 92 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 117 | 23 | |||
| Cheltenham Town | 2019–20 | League Two | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2020–21 | League Two | 44 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 13 | ||
| 2021–22 | League One | 46 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 26 | ||
| 2022–23 | League One | 39 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 46 | 22 | ||
| Total | 141 | 58 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 165 | 67 | |||
| Charlton Athletic | 2023–24 | League One | 43 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 50 | 27 | |
| Birmingham City | 2024–25 | League One | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Career total | 405 | 179 | 29 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 36 | 22 | 484 | 220 | |||
Cheltenham Town
Individual
February 2022,[20] March 2023,[21] October 2023[28]
2023–24 League One[47]